Vacuum cup

ABSTRACT

A suction cupped hand tool, adapted to be retained to an indented portion of an automobile body panel or the like for the purpose of restoration thereof, and having means for applying an outward drawing force. A novel saddle bracket is interposed between the suction cup and the drawing means and provides a protective shield over a special venturi evacuator jet; the evacuator jet operates from a standard shop air supply and provides the means of inducing a vacuum within the suction cup for firmly gripping the surface of the body panel thereto.

O United States Patent 1 1 1 1 3,728,891

H ll, J 45 Apr. 24, 1973 [5 VACUUM CUP 3,570,289 3/1971 Smyers ..72/705 X 2,605,658 8 1952 San h [75] Inventor: Bertie Forrest Hall, Jr., Berkley, 2,900,853 8x959 g i Mlch- H 3,052,479 9/1962 Trell ..417/185 x [73] Assgneez 3 Wmgash Berkley FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS 7 1,072,570 12/1959 Germany ..294/64 R [221 Och 7, 1970 624,817 1/1963 Belgium ..294/64 R [21] Appl. No.: 78,848

Primary Examiner-Char1es W. Lanham Assistant Examiner-E. M. Combs 52 us. ca. ..72/465, 72/479, 72/705 A,,0mey HamesS, Dickey & Pierce [51] Int. C1. ..BZld 1/12 [58] Field 01' Search ..72/705, 56, 479, 57 BST 72/465, 478; 417/185; 294/64 A, 64 B, 64 R,

65; 269/21 A suction cupped hand tool, adapted to be retained to an indented portion of an automobile body panel or [56] References Cited the like for the purpose of restoration thereof, and having means for applying an outward drawing force. UN 1TED STATES PATENTS A novel saddle bracket is interposed between the suc- 4 248 206 R tion cup and the drawing means and provides a prog ggsl g' R X tective shield over a special venturi evacuator jet; the 3o6l3sl 10/1962 Johnson 294/64 R evacuafbr jet operates from a standard shop air supply 3 272 549 9/1966 Nisula."I:I:I..............:::::::::294/64 R and Provides the means of inducing a Vacuum 2:934:O86 4 1960 Blatt ..294/64 R x the Suction Cup for firmly gripping the Surface of the 3,347,327 10/1967 Engelen et a1. ..294/64 R X body panel thereto.

2,558,479 6/1951 Miller 1 ..294/64 R X 3,584,836 6/1971 Brubaker ..72/705 x 10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 2,771,933 11/1956 Edwards ..72/705 X PATENTEUAPRZMSB v 3.728.891

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INVENTOR.

VACUUM CUP This invention relates generally to the art of automobile body repair, and more particularly to a hand tool for use in the withdrawal of dents from the surface panels thereof.

Industrially, a vacuum has been used as a source of energy for holding, positioning, lifting, and moving various pieces of material. Further, it has been found that in many of the above applications, a suitable vacuum could be induced by the combination of a venturi section and a source of compressed air. With respect to this combination, a relatively small passage is used to connect the venturi section with the chamber, or housing, wherein the vacuum is to be induced. Then by means of suitably restricting the throat of the venturi, and having its upstream diverging end connected to a source of compressed air, it has been found that a sufficiently high velocity of the air stream in the throat will produce an evacuation of the atmosphere in the chamber or housing linked thereto. It is upon this principle that the hand tool of the present invention relies.

One of the problems encountered in providing a hand tool suitable for use in an automobile body shop is the possibility of destruction or accidental damage to the evacuator valve or its connecting members during employment. In the automobile body shop it will be appreciated, due to the nature of the work, that the tools and equipment are subjected to relatively severe impact loads in addition to relatively high tensile and compressive forces. It is to these conditions therefore, that the design of the hand tool of the present invention is addressed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention pertains to a hand tool which is necessarily rugged of construction, which is simple of manufacture and assembly, and is adaptable for use in an automobile body repair shop or the like. I The hand tool is comprised ofa molded resilient suction cup member vulcanized to a relatively thick base plate. An air passage communicates the interior of the suction cup with a venturi evacuator valve for the purpose of inducting a vacuum therein. A saddle shaped bracket, having an anchor ring and handle bar affixed thereto, is engaged to the base plate and provides a protecting shield for the evacuator valve.

Accordingly then, it is the general object of this invention to provide a hand tool, operable from a standard shop air supply, wherein the air handling element is protected or shielded from damage during operation.

It is another object of this invention to provide a vacuum gripping device that may be outwardly drawn by either hand or attaching means.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a vacuum gripping device that is easily attached and removable.

It is yet another object of this invention to induce a vacuum from an air supply requiring a relatively low air flow.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of the rear quarter panel of an automobile indicating the vacuum cup of the present invention engaged thereto;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vacuum cup;

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-section of the vacuum cup taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a vacuum cup 10 is indicated as operatively attached to a quarter panel portion 12 of an automobile. An air hose 14 having its outward end connected to a source of compressed air (not shown) is sealingly engaged to an appropriate portion of the vacuum cup 10 by a quick disconnect tubing fitting 16, or the like, as will become apparent as this specification proceeds.

As best observed in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the panel gripping portion of the vacuum cup 10 is comprised of a deformable suction cup member 18 in bonded association to a base member 20. In the preferred embodiment the suction cup member 18 is molded to assume a generally oval, bowl shaped configuration having a thickened wall portion 21 wherefrom projects an outwardly and downwardly extending skirt portion 22. The cross section of the wall of the skirt portion 22 is downwardly tapered, being relatively thinner at its outer periphery to provide an enhanced flexible sealing capability during attachment of the suction cup member 18 to the automobile body panel 12. A circular bead 24, disposed along the outer periphery of the skirt portion 22, further contributes to the sealing capability and provides additional strength to the outer periphery to resist tearing of the suction cup 18 during the withdrawing operation of the vacuum cup 10.

An upwardly extending flange 26 is disposed along but slightly inward from the periphery of the upper face of wall portion 22. The interior surface of the flange 26 and the inwardly circumscribed upper face of the wall portion 21 provide the engaging surfaces whereto the corresponding surfaces of the base member 20 are bonded.

The base member 20 is constructed from a relatively thick plate stock having flat parallel upper and lower surfaces 20a and 20b and preferably for economical reasons is shaped by a welding burning process to conform to the generally oval shape of the surface of the wall portion 21 circumscribed by the extending flange 26. A pair of threaded blind bores 27 are disposed in the base member 20 on opposing sides of a central threaded bore 28 wherefrom is extended an aperture 30 through wall portion 21 for the purpose of providing a communicating passage from the interior of the suction cup member 18 to the exterior therefrom. A close nipple 32 is threadably interposed between the central threaded bore 28 and a suction pump 34.

The suction pump 34 is preferably constructed of a bar stock and is comprised of a horizontal axial passage 36 in communication with a downward extending vertical transverse passage 38. With reference to FIG. 3, the horizontal axial passage includes an annular venturi section 40, having a relatively small annular throat 42, interposed between an enlarged threaded inlet bore 44 and a relatively small annular outlet passage 46, the diameter of which corresponds to the converging expanded diameter of the venturi section 40. The vertical transverse passage 38 communicates the horizontal axial passage 36 by means of a relatively small aperture 48 wherefrom is downwardly extended an enlarged threaded bore 50 which is adapted to threadably receive the close nipple 32. A finely meshed screen affixed to a small annular ring 52 is nestingly situated on the top side of the close nipple 32 and provides a filtering means for preventing particles of dirt and scale, or the like, from blocking or obstructing the small aperture 48.

The suction pump 34 is protectively shielded by saddle bracket 54 whereto are attached the means for outwardly withdrawing the vacuum cup 10. The saddle bracket 54 is comprised of a rectangular flat mounting wall 56 wherefrom opposing edges downwardly extend a pair of rectangularly shaped side walls 58. An outwardly extending rectangularly shaped flange 60 is integrally provided on each of the lower edges of the side walls 58, wherein is disposed an annular bore 62. The pair of annular bores 62 are suitably aligned to correspond with the blind bores 27 in base member 20, so that the saddle bracket 54 may be rigidly affixed to base member 20 by the threadable insertion ofa pair of cap screws 64. To provide further rigidity in the connection, lock washers 66 are interposed between the inward enlarged head portion of cap screws 64 and the circumjacent mating surface of annular bore 62.

A suitable aperture 68 is provided through the side walls 58 for receiving an elongated tubular handle bar 70. The handle bar 70 is affixed to the saddle bracket preferably by means of a tack weld 72 disposed along the mating surfaces of the handle bar 70 and the side walls 58 thereof. A pair of tubular shaped hand grips 72 are telescoped over the opposing ends of the handle bar 70 and arranged to be frictionally gripped thereto. Generally speaking, the handle bar 70 is adapted to be used for withdrawing the vacuum cup on applications requiring relatively light outward panel pulls. It will now be appreciated that the suction cup member 18 and base member 20 are purposely elongated in a direction corresponding to the orientation of the handle bar 70, so as to resist an unbalanced pulling force applied at either end of the handle bar 70.

For heavy work requiring the use of a block and tackle, or a winch, when a greater outward pull is required, the employment of an attachment to an anchor ring 74 is visualized. The anchor ring 74 of the present invention is essentially torus shaped wherefrom an exterior surface is extended an enlarged radial flange portion 76. The flange portion 76 is adapted to be affixed to the upper face of the mounting wall 56 by means of a welding bead 78 disposed along the lower radial surface of the flange portion 76 and the circumjacent mating surface of the mounting wall 56. Thus, it will be appreciated that the vacuum cup is adaptable to be employed in applications requiring either light or hefty outward draws.

For purposes of the following claims, the handle bar 70 and the ring 74 are generically described by the phrase pulling means." The phrase pulling means is intended to refer to any part or element which is engageable manually or by a hook, chain or other force transmitting device for applying a pulling force to the tool.

In the operation of the vacuum cup 10 a suitable threaded fitting 16, preferably of the quick-disconnect variety, is threadably engaged to the threaded bore 44 of the suction pump 34. The vacuum cup 10 is properly positioned over a portion of a body panel wherefrom an indentation is to be withdrawn. A source of compressed air is introduced as by means of the interposition of a hose 14 between an air compressor and the fitting 16. The advent of the pressurized air stream flowing through the suction pump 34 provides the aspiration necessary to reduce the content of the atmosphere within suction cup member 18 enabling a vacuum level to be reached. The consequent vacuum level is maintained by the continued flow of compressed air and a suitable vacuum seal is provided by the engagement of the outer periphery of the suction cup member 18 and the body panel thereto. It will now be appreciated that the vacuum cup 10 is sealingly engaged to the body panel and an outward force, normal to the surface, may be now applied to either the anchor ring 74 or the handle bar for the purpose of withdrawing the indentation from the panel. Further it will be appreciated due to the extremely small cross sectional area at the throat 42 of the venturi section 40 that only a small volume of compressed air is consumed due to the inherent restriction.

While it is apparent that the preferred embodiment illustrated herein is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the present invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A portable vacuum cupped hand tool for use in the restoration of an automotive body panel or the like, the tool comprising: a rigid base member having first and second spaced exterior surfaces; a resilient suction cup secured to one of said first and second exterior surfaces of said base member; a suction pump operatively mounted to the other exterior surface of said base member; an inverted U-shaped bracket formed from a sheet material and including a base portion spaced from said other exterior surface, a pair of side portions having one end extending from opposite edges of said base portion, and a pair of flange portions extending outwardly from an opposite end of said side portions, said bracket being located over said suction pump to shield the top and opposite sides of said pump; fastener means for connecting said flange portions to said other exterior surface of said base member; an elongated handle connected to said side portions of said bracket and extending outwardly therefrom, said handle being adapted to be gripped by spaced first and second hands for applying a manual force to said hand tool; and means connected to said bracket for selectively connecting said hand tool to a power source to apply an increased pulling force to said hand tool.

2. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said first and second exterior surfaces of said base member are parallel.

3. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said resilient suction cup is vulcanized to one of said first and second exterior surfaces of said base member.

4. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said base member further includes a third exterior surface extending between said first and second spaced surfaces, and wherein said resilient suction cup is vulcanized to said third surface of said base member.

5. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said means includes an anchor ring connected to said base portion of said bracket.

6. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the suction cup and base member are elongated in the axial direction of said handle bar.

7. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said suction pump includes a first passage having a venturi section and extending through opposite ends of said pump and a second passage for communicating said first passage and the interior surface of said suction cup.

8. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said bracket shields said suction pump on at least three sides.

9. A portable hand tool for use in the restoration of an automotive body panel or the like comprising: a rigid longitudinally elongated base plate; an oval- Shaped resilient suction cup having a recess for nestingly receiving said base plate, said suction cup being bondingly connected to said plate in said recess; a U-shaped bracket formed from a sheet material and connected to said base plate; said bracket including a base portion spaced from said plate, a pair of side portions having one end' extending from opposite edges of said base portion, and a pair of flange portions extending outwardly from an opposite end of said side portions, said base and side portions defining a transversely extending passage relative to the longitudinal direction of said plate; a suction pump located in said passage and mounted to said base plate; fastener means for connecting said flange portions to said base plate; and an elongated handle bar extending longitudinally parallel to said base plate and extending outwardly from said bracket for applying a manual pulling force whereby an unbalanced force is resisted due to the orientation of said cup and said bar.

10. The hand tool as recited in claim 9 wherein opposite longitudinal ends of said base plate are arcuately fonned, and said recess of said cup is correspondingly formed to receive said base plate. 

1. A portable vacuum cupped hand tool for use in the restoration of an automotive body panel or the like, the tool comprising: a rigid base member having first and second spaced exterior surfaces; a resilient suction cup secured to one of said first and second exterior surfaces of said base member; a suction pump operatively mounted to the other exterior surface of said base member; an inverted U-shaped bracket formed from a sheet material and including a base portion spaced from said other exterior surface, a pair of side portions having one end extending from opposite edges of said base portion, and a pair of flange portions extending outwardly from an opposite end of said side portions, said bracket being located over said suction pump to shield the top and opposite sides of said pump; fastener means for connecting said flange portions to said other exterior surface of said base member; an elongated handle connected to said side portions of said bracket and extending outwardly therefrom, said handle being adapted to be gripped by spaced first and second hands for applying a manual force to said hand tool; and means connected to said bracket for selectively connecting said hand tool to a power source to apply an increased pulling force to said hand tool.
 2. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said first and second exterior surfaces of said base member are parallel.
 3. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said resilient suction cup is vulcanized to one of said first and second exterior surfaces of said base member.
 4. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said base member further includes a third exterior surface extending between said first and second spaced surfaces, and wherein said resilient suction cup is vulcanized to said third surface of said base member.
 5. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said means includes an anchor ring connected to said base portion of said bracket.
 6. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the suction cup and base member are elongated in the axial direction of said handle bar.
 7. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said suction pump includes a first passage having a venturi section and extending through opposite ends of said pump and a second passage for communicating said first passage and the interior surface of said suction cup.
 8. The vacuum cupped hand tool as recited in claim 1, wherein said bracket shields said suction pump on at least three sides.
 9. A portable hand tool for use in the restoration of an automotive body panel or the like comprising: a rigid longitudinally elongated base plate; an oval-shaped resilient suction cup having a recess for nestingly receiving said base plate, said suction cup being bondingly connected to said plate in said recess; a U-shaped bracket formed from a sheet material and connected to said base plate; said bracket including a baSe portion spaced from said plate, a pair of side portions having one end extending from opposite edges of said base portion, and a pair of flange portions extending outwardly from an opposite end of said side portions, said base and side portions defining a transversely extending passage relative to the longitudinal direction of said plate; a suction pump located in said passage and mounted to said base plate; fastener means for connecting said flange portions to said base plate; and an elongated handle bar extending longitudinally parallel to said base plate and extending outwardly from said bracket for applying a manual pulling force whereby an unbalanced force is resisted due to the orientation of said cup and said bar.
 10. The hand tool as recited in claim 9 wherein opposite longitudinal ends of said base plate are arcuately formed, and said recess of said cup is correspondingly formed to receive said base plate. 